R. Kelly

His albums have sold over 24 million copies worldwide, which made him one of the most recognized American R&B stars around. Hit singles like "Bump N' Grind" and "I Believe I Can Fly" cemented his fame, however ongoing scandals involving a sex tape and child pornography have tainted the image he worked so hard to build.

Appeal

His appeal to the womenfolk probably waned since his indictment and the accusations that followed. However, R. Kelly was the de facto sex bomb in his peak, drawing shrieks of ecstasy at concerts. Yet, given the child pornography

Success

He was a poor kid with big dreams making pocket money singing in trains. Today he can boast being one of the top-selling artists in the U.S. All he needed was a way in, and he found it through his band Public Announcement, which made waves in the early '90s.

He rode the wave hard, creating new ones as his solo career took off. His initial albums sold several million, lapping up praise and platinum records. He didn't see anything wrong with a little bump and grind, so he married his protg, 15-year-old R&B sensation Aaliyah. That was the beginning of his strange career that went down as it went up.

Further records raked in success and R. Kelly was collaborating with folks like Michael Jackson and Celine Dion, and writing songs for hit movies like Space Jam and Batman & Robin. A massively winning double CD and a partnership with Jay-Z seemed to take him to the pinnacle.

Then the child porn accusations surfaced. And then more accusations from his past. R. Kelly became a joke, the target of a particularly scathing sketch on Dave Chappelle's Chappelle's Show. Yet he still whipped up CDs.

R. Kelly Biography

Born in the south of Chicago on January 8, 1969, Robert Sylvester Kelly always had a mean set of pipes. His high school music teacher and mentor thought so too, and encouraged the young man to pursue a singing career. And so he did, winning his first audiences on street corners and in trains.

It was only in the late '80s and early '90s that R. Kelly's singing would earn him more than pocket change. He joined a group called Public Announcement, which began recording in 1992. The group's album Born into the 90's was a commercial hit, with at least one track making the Top 40.

r. kelly records 12 play

With his name abuzz in the music press, R. Kelly took his momentum and gave it a boost with a solo album, 12 Play, in 1993. His bouncy rhythms, smooth dynamic voice and highly sexual lyrics took the nation by storm. "Bump N' Grind," his first smash single, lingered on the R&B charts for 12 weeks. The album sold over five million copies.

In 1994, R. Kelly put his gift for producing to work as the man behind Age Ain't Nothing But a Number, the debut album of 15-year-old R&B sensation Aaliyah. It was later revealed that the two had secretly married. The ensuing controversy was heavy enough for the two to annul the wedding and never speak to each other again.

In 1995, Kelly wrote "You Are Not Alone" for Michael Jackson, which became one of the embattled singer's last hits. Kelly's second album, a self-titled work, came out that year and surpassed his first, with three singles that all hit the No. 1 R&B spot.

r. kelly writes i believe i can fly

Showing his skill for writing for others, Kelly crafted "I Believe I Can Fly" for the Michael Jordan vehicle Space Jam (1996). The song's soulful subject matter was a blow to Kelly's image as an oversexed crooner, something that confused and delighted his fans. It won the Grammy for "Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television."

Following the film's success, Kelly wrote another Top 10 movie tune, "Gotham City" for Batman & Robin (1997). Not wanting to underwhelm the expectation of the music public, he released a double CD in 1998, entitled simply R. It seemed that Kelly's sexually explicit days were over, which may have been a ploy to garner the initial attention he needed. R. was bursting with romantic tunes, including a duet with Celine Dion. It became his best-selling album ever.

r. kelly rediscovers his inner pimp

But two years later, the booty-loving playa came back with TP-2.com, to which the single "Feelin' on Yo Booty" testified. He teamed up with Jay-Z in "Fiesta" and "The World's Greatest" was featured on the Muhammad Ali biopic Ali (2001).

His collaboration with Jay-Z was so fruitful that the two reunited for the album The Best of Both Worlds. Heavily hyped all over the country, its sales would be marred by a scandal that even today still dogs the singer.

r. kelly accused of child porn

In February 2002, the Chicago Sun-Times reported it received a videotape showing Kelly having sex with what appeared to be a 14-year-old girl. A slew of other accusations followed, including the exposure of a 1998 civil suit involving a sexual relationship with another underage girl. The tape was circulated by bootleggers and on the Internet, and speculations remain over whether Kelly is actually on the tape and whether the girl is actually underage. Kelly firmly denies being the man.

As a consequence, many radio stations and stores refused to carry Kelly's new album, resulting in disappointing sales, even though it hit the charts at No. 2.

In June 2002 Kelly was charged with 21 counts of child pornography, seven of which were later tossed. He was released on $750,000 bail. In addition, the state of Florida indicted him with 12 counts of child pornography, but the charges were dropped due to the illegal nature of the police search.

Today, Kelly has to ask the courts for permission to travel on tour, and he's not allowed to associate with Michael Jackson.

r. kelly bounces back with chocolate factory

But Kelly was determined not to let it mar his career. His next album, Chocolate Factory opened at No. 1 in 2003, and went double platinum. He tried to repeat the success of R. with a new double CD, Happy People / U Saved Me in August 2004. Kelly went full-out soul in this one, belting gospel tunes that speak of redemption and faith.

Though it went triple platinum, critics accused him of trivializing soul with a commercial gimmick to rebrand his reputation.

With Jay-Z he released a follow-up to Best of Both Worlds, called Unfinished Business, which opened at No. 1 on Billboard's album chart. The two went on tour, but R. Kelly left halfway through, accusing Jay-Z's handlers of attacking him.

r. kelly releases tp-3: reloaded and double up

In 2005, R. Kelly released TP-3: Reloaded and, a year later, he released Double Up, which included the song "Rise Up," a tribute to those affected by the Virginia Tech tragedy.

r. kelly faces charges

In 2002, R. Kelly was charged with videotaping himself having sex with what was presumed to be a 13-year old girl. However, in 2008, he was acquitted of all child-pornography charges. Jurors decided that the now 23-year-old was not the girl in the video.